Harrow pupil 'died after assault outside Malia nightclub'

Updated

A public schoolboy died on the penultimate day of his Interrail holiday after being assaulted outside a nightclub in the Greek resort of Malia, an inquest has heard.

Harrow pupil Archie Lloyd was celebrating the end of his A-Level exams with four friends when he was struck by a club promoter following an angry exchange in the early hours of August 6 last year.

Security guards told Greek police the 18-year-old's friends refused to let him go to hospital after he fell against the curb outside the Cloud Nine venue.

Earlier, Mr Lloyd and best friend Andy Hutchinson had obstructed two women and club promoter Sebastian Trabucatti from riding their mopeds past them, the hearing was told.

Mr Hutchinson told Winchester Coroner's Court his friend yelled "one day you'll work for me" seconds before he was floored. One of the two girls on mopeds shouted "you deserved that", the hearing was told.

Mr Lloyd was tended to "for three minutes" by medics before being given the all-clear, leaving Mr Hutchinson and others to take him back to their villa in the Sissi region.

Mr Hutchinson said he was so concerned for his friend that he sought a second medical opinion when they got home, but the telephone number they were given did not reply.

The friends put gifted sportsman Mr Lloyd in the recovery position and fell asleep at around 7am. However, they woke at midday and discovered blood on Mr Lloyd's pillow, who was unresponsive.

A pathologist estimated the teenager died at around 9am. They were due to fly home to London the following day.

During the inquest, Mr Hutchinson described how the "10-second" altercation began when the quad bike riders sounded their horns loudly while he and Mr Lloyd walked towards the taxi rank to go home.

He said: "Archie and I had our arms out to the side and told them to 'f*** off'. They were using their horns.

"They responded by being abusive. We moved out of the road. The riders then stopped their bikes in front of us.

"The man (Mr Trabucatti) got off his bike and moved towards us."

He said the promoter pushed him three times, forcing him to the ground.

He said Mr Lloyd might have felt bad for failing to intervene so shouted "one day you'll work for me" at the alleged attacker.

Mr Hutchinson said: "Archie started to walk off. The man walked towards him. In a split second I saw one of the women raise her hands and point to Archie, she said: 'You deserved that.'

"Archie was on the pavement with his prone body partly laid on the road.

"The man and the two women rode off."

He said a passing ambulance crew stopped at the scene and gave Mr Lloyd a "three-minute check-up".

But he denied the medical staff's claims that he refused to let his friend receive further assistance at the health centre.

Wiping tears from his eyes while giving evidence, Mr Hutchinson said his friend did not speak again after hitting the floor.

The court heard Mr Trabucatti was invited to attend the inquest but declined.

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